Dance Can Be a Profession!

I did not know that dance can be used for fun, worship, exercise, or for a profession at the same time. I thought that dance simply involved moving the body in a way that flows with the rhythms of music and used solely for fun or entertainment. Because the country I have come from, dance is being considered just as a fun thing not a as a profession.

My perspective of dance changed after watching the dance performances during my freshman orientation at college. The performers really caught my attention, amazing me with their different methods of dancing, notably by the way they performed the movements, the face expressions they had while dancing, and the dancing skill itself. They were expressing each situation with certain acting positions and by moving each part of the body in certain skillful ways.

I was interested in the part of the performance where the dancers wore beautiful short white skirts with special flat shoes. I did not know which type of dance it was, so I became quite eager to learn more. I began by researching various aspects of dance, including the history of dance, types of dance, and the importance of dance.

Dance was a language for people in many centuries past. They showed what they were thinking and feeling through the movements of their bodies. There are many types of dance (i.e. social, dramatic, religious, etc.). There are also many different disciplines within each style, including Ballet, Modern, Tap, Jazz, World Folk, and Hip Hop. Dance has a broad area of learning; it is not limited to moving the body with the rhythms of music, but involves knowing the meaning associated with each movement according to the rhythms, and then artfully expressing each situation.

Today dance is a vital part of the rituals of many cultures, religions, and social traditions. People dance in order to entertain others, express themselves, have fun at parties, and to celebrate cultural traditions.

Dance can be a good exercise. Dance from the exercising perspective can be used to keep the body fit, while from some religious perspectives, it is used for worshipful purposes. People dance in some religions in order to inspire virtue and moderation in their souls and bodies. They worship their God through dancing, such as those who dance to worship through Hinduism and Buddhism.

When I was researching about dance, I discovered that the unknown dance that I had really liked the most during freshman orientation was none other than ballet. Ballet is a famous style of dance, rich in both age and history. Ballet dance is a style of dance that developed in the courts of Renaissance Italy and eventually taken to France. Ballet has since spread to all corners of the world, reaching new heights of perfection in Russia and other locations worldwide. Ballet is a dramatic form of dance, usually performed with the audience viewing it from a fixed perspective. Ballet can be a very expressive art form, telling stories and showing emotions, or the work can be abstract.

The short white skirts and the flat shoes are special ballet costumes. Ballet dancers wear special costumes while dancing, such as tutu skirts, leotards, and tights. They usually wear tight clothing in order to show their body lines while moving, because ballet dance is comprised of special movements that express a given scene.

Ballet dancers are called Ballerinas. A Ballerina always performs with a tutu skirt. Ballet clothing is always sort of fancy, usually with white, baby pink or purple colors. Ballet dancers must wear a special type of shoes while dancing, since Ballet requires the dancer to focus much on their feet and legs movement. The shoes also prevent the Ballet dancer from slipping or falling down while dancing.

Dance is very famous today. There are schools and colleges, specifically designed for people who are interested to dance professionally. The best dance school in the world is in Canada, where they train students how to dance professionally.

As my interest increased after doing research on dance, I went and watched another dance performance and was able to recognize which kind of dance it was. It was a tap dance show, performed at the Modlin Center of Arts on campus. I met a dance professor the next day on campus, because I wanted to sign up to take a dance class. After I got the dance class syllabus, I realized how professionally dance skills are taught. I really want to learn how to dance, so I am taking the class next semester. I also want to meet the students who study dance for the sake of becoming a professional dancer.

Submitted by:

Muska Assad

My name is Muska Assad. I am from Afghanistan and studying Political Science and Women Studies in the University of Richmond. I am studying in the University of Richmond through a scholarship that is provided by Initiative to Educate Afghan Women. For more information about the organization, please visit the click on the URL http://www.ieaw.org/about/